BROADWEST (former West End Summit), 36 story Conrad Hilton Hotel/condo tower, 22 story/510,000 sq. ft. office tower, 4 story/125,000 sq. ft. retail/office, 1 acre plaza, 2,500 car garage, $490 million

[UTgrad09]

Tangent alert. Let's get off the politics, folks.

[dmillsphoto]

MLBrumby, You may know your trade and have worked in high-level positions in healthcare, but your claims are still unsubstantiated regarding not only this project but the state of affairs at HCA. Quarterly results are one thing, I agree, but they also have intent to purchase 3 hospitals in FL from IASIS. Further, while SCRI & Parallon are under the HCA umbrella, they are two separate entities with their own P&L sheets that feed up to HCA. Further, last I checked, SCRI and Parallon's business models are largely unaffected by the ACA because they service cancer research and trials, and revenue cycle solutions, respectively.

 

As far as the One C1ty project, that might be the case but it would make more sense to bring other entities over from HCA rather than these two. 

 

Again, if I am wrong and WES gets canned again, I will gladly eat my crow, but the focus should be on Palmer and his lenders - those two will be the reasons why it would cripple.

[MLBrumby]

Thanks DMP... but I said in my first post on this speculation that "I think" ... I haven't claimed to know anything about this project. In fact, I would really like to see it rise at that site.  But I was just putting the logic behind my belief that this project is far less likely to happen than we've been led to believe by Mr. Palmer.  I realize I take a forensic approach to almost everything I do (my wife hates it!!)... and sometimes that leads to a pessimistic conclusion.   I do hope I am wrong.

 

MLBrumby, You may know your trade and have worked in high-level positions in healthcare, but your claims are still unsubstantiated regarding not only this project but the state of affairs at HCA. Quarterly results are one thing, I agree, but they also have intent to purchase 3 hospitals in FL from IASIS. Further, while SCRI & Parallon are under the HCA umbrella, they are two separate entities with their own P&L sheets that feed up to HCA. Further, last I checked, SCRI and Parallon's business models are largely unaffected by the ACA because they service cancer research and trials, and revenue cycle solutions, respectively.

 

As far as the One C1ty project, that might be the case but it would make more sense to bring other entities over from HCA rather than these two. 

 

Again, if I am wrong and WES gets canned again, I will gladly eat my crow, but the focus should be on Palmer and his lenders - those two will be the reasons why it would cripple

[samsonh]

Tangent alert. Let's get off the politics, folks.

 My bad. Made a coffee house post to host this debate.

[UTgrad09]

 My bad. Made a coffee house post to host this debate.

 

No problem. A lot of us tend to venture off into political wonderland from time to time...myself included. Whether we like it or not, politics plays a pretty big role in the urban development world. Sometimes it's hard to separate our political feelings from the urban discussion.

 

Thanks for starting a new topic.

[dxfret]

Yet another month has arrived and still no work has started on West End Summit.  I think most expected to see foundation work and cranes on the site by this time.  

 

It seems highly unlikely Alex Palmer & Co. will be able to meet the announced opening in Spring 2015.  I wonder what HCA makes of these delays.  

 

Any news?

[captainwjm]

Somewhere in another publication or perhaps on another topic on this forum, William Williams is quoted [or maybe posted] that sources told him that workers had been seen on the WES site.  Several weeks ago, I commented that I had seen a van with several folks wearing hard-hats at the West End entrance and speculated that they were engineers.  That lasted for 2 or 3 days and then nothing.  If Williams' source was reporting the same thing that  I saw, then there has been no activity since shortly after the 4th of July.  Now, there has been activity at the Dailey's Shell at the corner of 17th and West End where they have demolished the old Shell station and are begining to reconstruct it.  From 16th, Hayes and Church it might appear as if construction equipment was on the WES site when it was actually across 17th, and this might be mistaken by Williams' source as on the WES site.  But, as of yesterday evening, there was no equipment on WES site and nothing noticable has occurred there since the blasting equipment was pulled out in late May/June.

So are we getting Lake Palmer back?

 

Just to clarify, the pump is still there and has been operated to keep Lake Palmer at bay.

[FrankNash]

I spoke with a client of mine that has a husband that works at HCA. She said that he will be relocated to the WES before next Christmas. That he had taken part in a food tasting for the new restaurants that will go in the area between the two towers. The tasting was less than 2 weeks ago. She said the restaurants are both local and new to the city. Thats all I know!

[BnaBreaker]

I spoke with a client of mine that has a husband that works at HCA. She said that he will be relocated to the WES before next Christmas. That he had taken part in a food tasting for the new restaurants that will go in the area between the two towers. The tasting was less than 2 weeks ago. She said the restaurants are both local and new to the city. Thats all I know!

 

Very interesting!  Thanks for the info.  It seems highly unlikely to me that the complex will be completed in a 1.3 years, but you never know!

[smeagolsfree]

There is no way unless they start working 24/7 Monday.It is going to take some time to get up to ground level because that is a deep hole.

I just don't see it, but I am not in the construction business. Anyone care to comment on that timeline that is involved in construction.

[BnaBreaker]

There is no way unless they start working 24/7 Monday.

 

And unless they hire the construction company that did this:

 

Edited August 17, 2013 by BnaBreaker

[UTgrad09]

 

And unless they hire the construction company that did this:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps0DSihggio

 

Not totally sure that's what we want.....lol.

[barakat]

The project site indicates such a schedule, but I don't believe it's possible without extraordinary effort and workforce.

http://turnerwestendsummit.com/schedule/

[barakat]

This might be a 'tidbit' of WES info:

Notes: 7/30/13: Bid documents are anticipated to be released to PREQUALIFIED SUBCONTRACTORS & SUPPLIERS by the end of summer (late August-early September) 2013. Interested subcontractors & suppliers can be considered for invitations by prequalifying at www.turnerconstruction.com/sub-contractors. Originally in prebid 10/2/2012

http://www.bxtn.org/privateprojects/PrvProjectDetail.asp?txtPID=2012-0D90&view=gc

[dReAmWiELdEr]

Very interesting!  Thanks for the info.  It seems highly unlikely to me that the complex will be completed in a 1.3 years, but you never know!

I spoke with a client of mine that has a husband that works at HCA. She said that he will be relocated to the WES before next Christmas. That he had taken part in a food tasting for the new restaurants that will go in the area between the two towers. The tasting was less than 2 weeks ago. She said the restaurants are both local and new to the city. Thats all I know!

 

 

Guys, I can say as an HCA Corporate HQ employee that I would GREATLY surprised if we renounced plans to go with WES. Far too much preparation, negotiations, etc. (a.k.a. $$$) have taken place from both perspectives at this point... and I have had a tiny bit of involvement with the needs assessment of the building and have a tie to the one responsible for the negotiations with Alex Palmer, so I would be jaw-droppingly-surprised if this doesn't launch soon. I will also say again that it is possible that space needs had to be re-assessed and still wouldn't be not only be surprised at an official announcement coming soon, but one with perhaps new (perhaps larger/taller) renderings. This also could explain (if you look closely) at the cropped image of the two towers on the official WES site, that they are back at the "second original" height. (It was my understanding that at last projection, SCRI alone was going to consume the entire redesigned tower at approx. 425,000 sq. ft. by end of lease, but will still need a certain percentage of expansion rate "locked in" beyond that as a contingency... not sure if that has changed though, but if true, the tower would indeed need to be taller IMO.)

[BnaBreaker]

Guys, I can say as an HCA Corporate HQ employee that I would GREATLY surprised if we renounced plans to go with WES. Far too much preparation, negotiations, etc. (a.k.a. $$$) have taken place from both perspectives at this point... and I have had a tiny bit of involvement with the needs assessment of the building and have a tie to the one responsible for the negotiations with Alex Palmer, so I would be jaw-droppingly-surprised if this doesn't launch soon. I will also say again that it is possible that space needs had to be re-assessed and still wouldn't be not only be surprised at an official announcement coming soon, but one with perhaps new (perhaps larger/taller) renderings. This also could explain (if you look closely) at the cropped image of the two towers on the official WES site, that they are back at the "second original" height. (It was my understanding that at last projection, SCRI alone was going to consume the entire redesigned tower at approx. 425,000 sq. ft. by end of lease, but will still need a certain percentage of expansion rate "locked in" beyond that as a contingency... not sure if that has changed though, but if true, the tower would indeed need to be taller IMO.)

 

Very encouraging info.  Thanks for sharing.  And for the record, I don't doubt one bit that this is going to get built.  I just don't see how it will finish construction in just over a year when they haven't even really begun yet. 

[mirydi]

Very encouraging indeed! There was an article I posted not too long ago saying that AP was in talks with the lenders about the scope of the project. Maybe this thing really could end up going back to the originally proposed 400' possibly even higher. Still too many unknown's at this point, but hearing this from someone who supposedly has behind the scenes knowledge has got me a little excited!

[FromParkAveToTN]

This is like my all-time favorite proposed project in Nashville, but I'm scared it's not going to happen with all these continuous negotiations. Stop negotiating and start building. I'm so afraid they are going to screw this up. Hold me.

[chris holman]

Guys, I can say as an HCA Corporate HQ employee that I would GREATLY surprised if we renounced plans to go with WES. Far too much preparation, negotiations, etc. (a.k.a. $$$) have taken place from both perspectives at this point... and I have had a tiny bit of involvement with the needs assessment of the building and have a tie to the one responsible for the negotiations with Alex Palmer, so I would be jaw-droppingly-surprised if this doesn't launch soon. I will also say again that it is possible that space needs had to be re-assessed and still wouldn't be not only be surprised at an official announcement coming soon, but one with perhaps new (perhaps larger/taller) renderings. This also could explain (if you look closely) at the cropped image of the two towers on the official WES site, that they are back at the "second original" height. (It was my understanding that at last projection, SCRI alone was going to consume the entire redesigned tower at approx. 425,000 sq. ft. by end of lease, but will still need a certain percentage of expansion rate "locked in" beyond that as a contingency... not sure if that has changed though, but if true, the tower would

indeed need to be taller IMO.)

Great news! Could you please keep us posted on any changes or updates? Thanks

[timmay143]

Excellent inside info people! Thanks, and if new to the forum, welcome!!

[dxfret]

Labor Day and the fall season are fast approaching .... still NOTHING seems to be happening on Alex Palmer's West End Summit.  

 

There is no way they will be able to meet the announced 2015 completion.  I'm guessing that HCA is not happy.

 

The rest of Nashville and Middle Tennessee are totally booming, but this project seems to remain perpetually stalled.

 

Any news?

[MLBrumby]

Does raise doubts!   At the very least, Palmer isn't in a hurry to get this started.  If this thing were started tomorrow, it wouldn't be ready until sometime in 2016. 

[captainwjm]

This might be a 'tidbit' of WES info:

Notes: 7/30/13: Bid documents are anticipated to be released to PREQUALIFIED SUBCONTRACTORS & SUPPLIERS by the end of summer (late August-early September) 2013. Interested subcontractors & suppliers can be considered for invitations by prequalifying at www.turnerconstruction.com/sub-contractors. Originally in prebid 10/2/2012

http://www.bxtn.org/privateprojects/PrvProjectDetail.asp?txtPID=2012-0D90&view=gc

Any update on this?

[whatwhat]

Any chance that after landing HCA he's decided to go even bigger with WES and that is what is holding it up?  That would be a fun surprise.

[FromParkAveToTN]

I've learned the hard way that bigger isn't always better. I wish they would leave it alone and start building.